Posted: Sun, Nov 7, 2004, 10:00 AM ET (1500 GMT)
The inaugural launch of an upgraded version of the venerable Soyuz rocket was delayed indefinitely Saturday, Russian officials reported. The Soyuz-2 booster was scheduled to lift off Saturday afternoon from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, but the Russian Space Forces announced Saturday that the launch had been delayed indefinitely to "continue work on repairing the malfunctions detected earlier." The launch, originally planned for late October, was earlier delayed to correct software problems with the vehicle. No new launch date has been announced. The Soyuz-2 features a payload capacity 300 kg greater than the existing Soyuz booster, and had a larger 4-meter payload fairing. The Soyuz-2 is carrying a test satellite, Oblik.

Related Links:

•  RIA Novosti article
•  AFP article